Work on widening and reconstructing 2.6 miles of eastbound I-94 in Kalamazoo County gets started this week.

The eastbound lanes from Oakland Drive to near the 12th Street overpass, which is between U.S. 131 and the Oshtemo Township exit, will be the focus of the second year of the I-94 project.

The plan this year is the reverse of last year's "Big Shift," as the Michigan Department of Transportation dubbed it, when westbound traffic was put on the eastbound side to allow crews to widen and rebuild the westbound lanes.

While the actual shifting of all traffic to the westbound lanes to accommodate the eastbound work is expected to begin on Saturday, preparations are to start on Monday, according to MDOT spokeswoman Julie Hurley.

There will be a daytime lane closure westbound from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday as crews begin to place barriers and make other preparations.

Also beginning Monday, lane closures on eastbound and westbound I-94 are planned during off-peak hours between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. throughout the project to remove and relocate barrier walls.

Otherwise, two lanes of both eastbound and westbound traffic will be maintained throughout the construction season, according to MDOT.

Construction on the I-94 overpass at 12th Street and associated work on 12th Street itself has resumed and is scheduled to be completed by May 30.

Work on the new Oakland bridge that opened last year is complete, except for painting, Hurley said.

Some ramp closures will occur this year at Oakland to accommodate the work on I-94 and to complete the final construction of the Oakland ramps.

A sound wall being installed between Oakland and U.S. 131 is expected to be finished in August, Hurley said.

Depending on weather, final restoration and painting of the sound wall and bridges may have to be completed in spring 2009, she said.

The two-year $68 million project, including widening the 2.6 miles of I-94 and all associated bridge and ramp work, is within budget, Hurley said.

The project is part of a longer-term plan to widen 6.7 miles of I-94 to three lanes on both sides from 12th Street east to Sprinkle Road, but that work has not yet been scheduled.

"At this time, there is no funding for widening I-94 east of this project," Hurley said of the stretch currently under construction.